1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a sliding roof for vehicles. Particularly, the invention relates to a sliding roof for vehicles of the type in which a slidable panel slides outwardly and rearwardly of a roof opening.
2. Description of Relevant Art
An externally sliding roof is known as one of the conventional sliding roofs for vehicles. This externally sliding roof is constructed such that a movable panel is raised at its rear part from a roof opening by tilt-up mechanism and slid upwardly of a rear roof through a variety of guides to open the roof opening. As the structure of this kind, there has been known in the prior art a sliding roof which is disclosed in GB No. 2,068,304A.
In the above-specified conventional sliding roof the rear part of the panel is lifted up by a screw telescope forming the tilt-up mechanism. Since this tilt-up mechanism is arranged in the roof opening, however, the guide for guiding the panel and the tilt-up mechanism interfere with each other so that the length of the guide has to be reduced, as a result, the longitudinal stroke of the panel cannot be retained at a large value, and the length of the roof opening when the panel is opened is correspondingly reduced.
In case, on the other hand, the rear part of the panel is lifted up by merely vertically and linearly moving means such as the screw telescope or a piston, the height of the sliding roof has to be enlarged according to a predetermined height requirement of the screw telescope or the like when contracted: Thus, the space of a vehicle compartment is disadvantageously narrowed.